Queens Holidays & Parades

Q1 _ Winter Quarter (mostly)

2 of 5

Chinese New Year of the Pig in Queens

Year of the Pig Celebrated in Flushing Chinese New Year Parade

February 10, 2019 / Things To Do Queens / Queens Neighborhoods / Queens Buzz NYC. By Michael Wood.

On Saturday I made my way east to Flushing to watch the Chinese New Year Parade. It was a nice sunny day with temperatures in the 30's, and a fair wind blowing, adding to the chill. But that doesn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the large crowds that come to attend and witness one of the world's most ancient cultures on full theatrical display.

The sidewalks in Flushing along Main Street had been widened this past year, enabling a far better flow of pedestrian traffic than in prior years. I headed south toward the Flushing branch of the Queens Library, to find an opening into the street where I could - for the first time - take video of the colorful, musical parade.

I'll post the video later today.

Queens Holidays & Parades

Q2 _ Spring Quarter (mostly)

3 of 5

Only in Queens

Muslims & Jews Organize Iftar Ramadan Dinner

June 7, 2016 / Forest Hills Neighborhood / Religion & Culture in Queens / Queens Buzz.

Only in Queens. On Thursday June 9th, the Turkish Cultural Center and the Central Queens Y will break bread together at an Iftar Ramadan dinner beginning at sundown [7.30 pm] at the Central Queens Y at 67-09 108th Street in Forest Hills.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim year and the holiest month of the Islamic year. During this time Muslims pay special attention to praying, fasting and reflecting upon their lives. The Islamic Holy Month has similarities to the Christian Lenten season, as well as the Judaic Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.

Islamic cultural traditions are based upon the lunar calendar, so the Ramadan Holy Month moves slightly around the solar calendar, from year to year. This year Ramadan began on June 5th and will end on July 5th. Attendees of all faiths are welcomed, as are families. The intent is to embrace a harmonious understanding of our shared planetary cultural identities, which the framers of the U.S. Constitution had envisioned centuries ago when they founded this nation.

The Iftar Dinner will be a dairy Middle Eastern meal catered by Meal Mart from Kew Gardens Hills. Meal Mart is Glatt Kosher and is under the supervision of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens. The meal costs $15 per adult and children under 12 are $5 each. Reservations may be made by registering online at www.cqy.org/tickets or you can call 718.268.5011 - ext 151, or email pkurtz@cqy.org.

St Pats Day Parades in All 5 Boros of NYC

This is a Look at All of the Upcoming St Patricks Day Parades, Including Photos of those We've Covered Over the Years with Links to a Page Containing Photos and Descriptions of Some of the Best Irish Pub in Each Borough

February 28, 2023 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC / 436.

NYC Weather. The temperature highs start at about 40 on Tuesday, rising to 45 Wednesday and 55 on Thursday, before falling back to 40 on Friday. The temperature lows start in the low 30's on Tuesday, rise to the low 40's on Wednesday, before falling back to the mid 30's on Thursday and rising again to about 40 on Friday. The winds on Tuesday range from 5 - 15 mph, then fall back to 5 - 10 mph on Wednesday and Thursday before kicking up to 15 - 20 mph on Friday. The humidity will range from 75% - 85% on Tuesday, then fall back to 65% - 75% for the rest of the weekdays. There's a 50% chance of a scant amount of precipitation Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, before a real chance of an inch and a quarter of either snow or rain on Friday. Most of Saturday and Sunday should be clear.

The photo at right was taken at the St Pats for All Parade in Sunnyside Queens. This St Pat's Parade was created to allow LGBTQ folks to march in a St Patricks Day parade at a time when all of the others banned LGBTQ from marching in their parades.

Each Borough Has its Own Parade

Parades, Pubs and Restaurants in Each Borough. Each borough has at least one or more St. Patrick's Day parade. As we've covered most of them, we've included links to our reports of each St. Patricks Day Parade to provide you with further details of the experience of attending. We've also included links to some of the best or oldest Irish pubs and restaurants in each borough. As this is by no means a comprehensive list, and we will continue refining this report as we learn more about the Irish pubs and restaurants in each borough of NYC.

How this page is organized. We've organized this page first by borough and then by date. The parades span the month, even though the official feast date for St. Patrick is March 17th, which is also the date of the Manhattan parade which is by far the largest.

The LGBTQ Parade Participation Issue Appears to be Abating. In 2020 the St Pats for All parade was begun in Sunnyside to protest the banning of gays from marching in the Manhattan St Pats Parade. In 2015 the Manhattan Parade opened up its participation rules to allow gays to march. In 2020 the Throgs Neck parade opened up its participation to gays. At present only the Staten Island parade continues to ban LGBTQ community members from participating in the parade as openly gay people. The Staten Island ban continues in 2023.

• CLICK here to view our report on the St Patricks Day Parades scheduled in all 5 Boros of NYC in 2023 including Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Staten Island.

Queens Holidays & Parades

Q2 _ Spring Quarter (mostly)

3 of 5

Easter & Passover Celebrations in NYC & Boros

Next Sunday is Easter for Western Christians and the Following Week it's Easter for Orthodox Christians

April 3, 2023 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC / 438

Very Brief Introduction to Christian Easter Traditions

On Friday, April 7th, Christians observe Good Friday, which is when the Bible tells us that Jesus died on the cross. On Sunday, April 9th, Christians celebrate the Biblical account of Jesus rising from the dead.

Emperor Constantine became the Roman Emperor in 306. In 324 Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Empire. In 1054, the Great Schism occurred, wherein Christianity split into two different sects - Roman Catholic Christians [primarily in Western Europe] and Orthodox Christians [primarily in Eastern Europe]. The traditions have much in common, but one of the differences is in how they calculate the time of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The Western European Christians [Protestants and Catholics] use the Gregorian Calendar which was created in the 16th century and made the official calendar by Pope Gregory, while the Orthodox Christians use the Julian Calendar which was made law in the Roman Empire in 45 B.C. by Julius Caesar.

Thus there are years where the Western European and Eastern Orthodox Easter events fall at the same time, and there years where they do not. This year [2023] the celebrations of the two traditions are separated by a week, with the Western European Christians celebrating next weekend and the Orthodox Christians celebrating a week later.

• CLICK here to view our report on NYC Easter events, Easter parades, Easter egg hunts, Easter brunches & Greek Orthodox Holy Friday processsions in NYC, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island.

Queens Holidays & Parades

Q3 _ Summer Quarter (mostly)

4 of 5

Queens Fireworks Celebrating July 4th

Queens has Fireworks Displays in Bayside, Astoria & in the Rockaways - but the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks has Moved Down River

June 25, 2019 / Queens Neighborhoods NYC / Queens Holidays NYC / Queens Buzz NYC.

The following are the dates and locations of the legal fireworks displays in Queens over the next week or so leading up to and just beyond the July 4th holiday.

It begins in Bayside on Wednesday, June 26th beginning around 9 pm when the fireworks will be shot into the air off a barge on Little Neck Bay which you can get a good view of from the Bayside Historical Society.

The next evening on Thursday, June 27th in Astoria Park there are fireworks which are preceded by a concert that begins around 7 pm on the Great Lawn. The fireworks begin about dusk, which is just past 9.30 pm but each year more people attend this event, so I recommend you go early.

The big event is of course on July 4th, beginning just before 9.30 pm, when the Macy's 4th of July fireworks takes to the sky. But this year the fireworks have been moved south of the Brooklyn Bridge on the East River [Between Pier 17 and Manhattan Heliport], so the view from Long Island City in Queens won't be what it has been in prior years.

And last, but not least, are the Breezy Point fireworks in the Rockaway Inlet on July 5th beginning at 9.30 pm. The Breezy Point Co-Op is the sponsor and you might want to leave early to find a good spot.

Bolivian Parade In Jackson Heights NYC

Parade Showcases Bolivian Culture In Queens

October 20, 2014 / Jackson Heights Neighborhood / Ethnic Culture In Queens / Queens Buzz. Jackson Heights is the home away from home for many cultures around the world. On numerous occasions throughout the year the community is provided an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the pageantry showcasing many different cultures from Latin America, Asia and a bit of modern day Americana.

On Sunday, the Bolivians showcased their culture by providing a panoply of dancers and musicians in costumes of eras gone by. It was a cool day and the performers used that to their advantage by performing a number of synchronized dance steps to the great amusement of the parade audience standing on the sidewalks along 37th Avenue.

We'll have a bit more to add at a later date including a photo slide show.

Colombian Festival of Flowers Parade

Celebration of Colonial Past & Current Colombian Floral Industry

July 13, 2015 / Jackson Heights Neighborhood / Queens Parades / Queens Buzz.

I attended the Colombian Festival of Flowers Parade on Sunday in Jackson Heights. The parade started at 12 noon at 69th Street on Northern Blvd and marched up to 86th Street. It was a three hour parade with a full coterie of floats, dancers, musicians and marchers - many of which were dressed in classical couture or costume.

The Festival of Flowers originated in the city Medellin in Colombia nearly 60 years ago.

Based on what I could gather [but not confirm] the parade has been morphing and evolving over the years. When it originated, the festival was focused on flowers and was celebrated in May in with some association with a feast celebrating the Christian Jesus' Mother Mary.

In recent years it has been celebrated in August [in Colombia] and associated with the independence of the Colombian state in which Medellin is located. Somewhere along the way classic autos became a part of the parade in Colombia, and we also saw a number of classical autos in the parade in Jackson Heights.

Another feature of the parade is the depiction of the silleros. The silleros were the human pack bearers of the Spanish during colonial times. Oftentimes carrying loads of 50 to 100 lbs across treacherous jungle or mountain terrain. These peasant people are celebrated in the parade by people who bear large floral arrangements which show a crest [and today large corporate brands] in an emblematic arrangement.

It's worth noting that in late July the Colombian Independence Parade marches along the same route in Jackson Heights next week.

Ecuador Independence Parade Photos

August 2014 / Jackson Heights / Queens Parades / Queens Buzz. I attended the Ecuador Independence Parade a couple of Sundays ago in Jackson Heights & Corona. Ecuador achieved its independence from Spain in 1822 during a time when many of its Latin American neighbors were also fighting for, and winning their independence. These wars for independence took place in the second and early part of the third decades of the 1800's, which was not long after the United States won its war for independence against Great Britain in the late 1700's.

Simon Bolivar was instrumential in leading these rebellions against those in power [Spanish royalty]. Bolivar enlisted English support in these wars for independence from Spain, just as Ben Franklin had enlisted French support in the American War for Independence. In both cases they got it, as France wanted to undermine the English in the late 1700's just as the English wanted to undermine the Spanish in the early 1800's.

In Ecuador the Spanish and the native South American Indians mixed racially, so that today about two thirds of the 12.5 - 14.5 million population is of mixed Spanish and Indian blood. The remainder of the population is a mix of Indian, AfroEcuadorian and Caucasian [primarily Spanish]. Spanish is the official language, but it's estimated that about 15% of the population can speak or understand Quichua, which is the native Indian language of the South American Incas. Ecuador uses American currency as its official currency.

We'll post a slide show at a later date, including the Mayor's late arrival, which corresponded to ours.

Fiery Dragon Heats Up Boat Festival

August 2017 / Flushing Neighborhood / Part Fiction & Part Fact / Chinese Culture in Queens / Queens Buzz NYC.

It was a warm weekend at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens. But not too warm to prevent the legendary fiery dragon, a symbol of good fortune, to grace the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival with his presence [see photo to right].

The fiery dragon came rampaging through the festival lawn, seeming to blow flames from its mouth, out into the hot air. Thankfully Meadow Lake was nearby.

Is this a fictitious tale you may ask? Only the dragon knows for sure.

The 27th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival was held in Queens on Meadow Lake. Meadow Lake is located in the southern end of Flushing Corona Meadows Park, well past the Unisphere and roller rink. The races were held on both Saturday and Sunday during the day. There were reportedly over 2,000 participants in the races, which included serious racers and racers just out to have a fun time. And many thousands of spectators.

Queens Holidays & Parades

Q4 _ Autumn Quarter (mostly)

5 of 5

HORROR on Ditmars ends Ghoulishly in Astoria Park

The Astoria Family Halloween Parade Marches Down Ditmars to Astoria Park Halloween Celebration

October 30, 2016 / Astoria Neighborhood / Holidays in Astoria Queens / Queens Buzz.

It was ghoulish, it was hairy and in fact it was just plain, downright SCARY. There’s just no other way to describe the Astoria Family Halloween Parade.

There were ghosts, goblins, witches, monsters and people back from the dead. They came by the hundreds and in all sizes. They were tall, small and everything in between. There were likely over one thousand people who came to participate in the tenth annual Astoria Family Halloween Parade.

Yet, even though I was surrounded by all of these frightening monsters, I felt a certain calm. Why? Why so calm amidst all of this horror?

IT WAS SCARY, BUT ... thankfully there were plenty of Super Heroes Around

Because there were possibly even more superheroes in the crowd. Wonder Woman, Superman, Batwoman, Batman and how about those Ninja Turtles?

The ghouls, goblins and their parents congregated at Ditmars & 31st Street beginning at 11.30 am filling all four corners and then some with plenty of people decked out in full Halloween garb. The weather was amply cooperative climbing well into the 70’s and I heard some of the monsters complain that they were overheating … but not the devils … they seemed to feel right at home – if not a bit chilly.

The police cordoned off one lane of Ditmars between 31st Street and Astoria Park and at noon, the families packed up and marched down to Astoria Park along the East River. The families came streaming down the Great Lawn and started taking their places on the grass in front of the stage erected by the Central Astoria Local Development Corporation also known as CALDC.

CALDC had organized a Halloween event, which they called the First Annual Batty Over Halloween Celebration. The free event included face painting, balloon twisting, a children's Halloween sing along, cotton candy and munchkin pumpkins giveaway.

All in all it made for a fun outing for the kids and parents of the neighborhood who embraced both the parade and the Halloween after party. The parade was started around 2006 and continues to be organized by the Astoria Moms Meetup Group and Queens Mamas.

Click here to view the Astoria Family Halloween Parade 2016 slide show.

Jackson Heights Halloween Parade Photos

Parade More Like A Community Costume Party

November 3, 2014 / Jackson Heights Neighborhood / Queens Parades / Queens Buzz. I attended the annual Jackson Heights Beautification Group's Kids Halloween Parade on Friday evening. I arrived shortly after it began and started photographing all of the parents and children in costume.

Unlike other parades, given this one was dedicated to the kids, there didn't seem to be the boundaries between parade marchers and the parade audience that one normally encounters. Those in the parade interacted with the audience, many of whom were family, friends and neighbors. And the parade more meandered than marched, with the kids in charge. It kind of felt like one big mega block party / Halloween costume ball.

We took many photos like the one you see to your right. It seems the Girl Scouts dress a bit differently than they did when I was that age. We'll post a photo slide show later today. And I have to give kudos to many of the parents, who seemed to embrace the holiday as much - or more than - their children.

Queens Holidays & Parades

Related Reports & Archives

2 of 2

Thanksgiving - America's Communal Holiday

The Pilgrims Legacy: Love, Sharing & Community Empowerment

November 22, 2022 / NYC Neighborhoods / Thanksgiving Holidays in NYC / Gotham Buzz NYC / 152.

A couple of years ago, I happened upon a childhood book of fables and fairytales that I had saved since I was a first grader. I was young enough to still like fairytales and old enough to be learning and loving to read.

The book, A Gateway to Storyland, by Platt & Munk Co, was given to me around the holidays, and the book still gives me a warm, loved feeling when I periodically open it to browse through the fairytales and fables containing little nuggets of age old wisdom about how to conduct onesself [see photo at right / the book is still in print]. I read it numerous times immediately upon receiving it, as the illustrations fed my imagination, and lessons embedded in the words resonated with timeless sagacity.

Unselfish Parental Love Manifested by Empowering Progeny

Love comes in many forms, but the purest form is unselfish love. The love of truly giving something with no thought of anything in return. That love is oftentimes given intergenerationally - from grandparents to parents to children.

Perhaps the greatest gifts are those that cost us nothing but our time. Like the gift of teaching someone something that they will be able to put to good use throughout their lives. Parents do this all the time, when they help their children develop skills, and impart some knowledge and learning ... just as my parents did many years ago, by giving me a well illustrated fairytale book to encourage my interest in reading, while sharing the time tested insights of the ages, handed down through storytelling.

I. A Brief Thanksgiving History

The Pilgrims Shared Communal Resources to Actualize a Dream

At Thanksgiving time we commemorate one of America's first settlements, founded by the risk-taking, resource-pooling, hardworking, spiritual community of Pilgrims.

The Pilgrims were early English settlers who arrived on American shores in the early 17th century [1600's]. They came here because they wanted a measure of freedom and self-determination that they were forbidden in Europe or what was called the 'old country'. The Pilgrims wanted to practice their faith, unencumbered, in a way that differed from the established Church of England. They pooled their money to obtain a ship, the Mayflower, to cross the Atlantic in mid September of 1620, landing on America's shores at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts on November 9, 1620. Think of it. It took about a month and a half to travel a distance we can now traverse in about five hours.

The Pilgrims Receive Help from the Native People of a Strange Land

Per Wikipedia, the Piligrims survived a hard winter in 1621 with the help of the Wampanoag, an American Indian tribe. The Pilgrims were the immigrants, and the first Americans, the Indian natives, welcomed them. The Wampanaog taught the Pilgrims how to catch eels, and how to grow and harvest corn. Thus the Pilgrims ended 1621 with a good harvest which they celebrated and shared with their new friends, expressing their gratitude to a higher power, aka God, for the success of their endeavors.

Thus it was that the first Thanksgiving celebration happened in America ... or did it?

• CLICK here for the rest of the story about Thanksgiving Day sentiments in NYC.

New Years Resolutions 2023: The Road Ahead

A Few Axioms To Keep In Mind Throughout The New Year

January 1, 2023 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Holidays / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC / 429.

For all of us, today starts the beginning of a new year.

If we stay the course with vaccinations, masks, social distancing and hand washing, we should be able to continue the transition from pandemic to endemic - assuming we're not already almost there - given that there are likely to be lingering long term CoVid effects and that we may never return to a pre-CoVid normal.

The rest of this report is about some of the things you can do personally to make 2023 a better year for you.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report on New Years Resolutions 2023 - The Road Ahead.

Click the heading above to view ethinic & religious events this month in Queens. Click the following links to go directly into one of these Queens Neighborhoods: Astoria, Flushing, Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Long Island City and Sunnyside. You may also click here to go to our Queens Parades section or to our ethnic, religious & holidays in Queens section.